The Gateway
by Locora
Summary: When Nicole is kidnapped by mysterious thugs, she is suddenly transported to Ametris where she meets Winry and Granny Rockbell. To regain her memories, and to find a way back to her world, she teams up with Edward Elric in an quest to expose the military
1. Chapter 1 : ¿Dónde estoy?

_Heya, everyone who thinks this interesting enough to read xD. I'm Lacora, or more commonly known as 'Loco'. You can call me either. Ok, just some things really fast. All names for the countries are of the Spanish language. No, I do not speak Spanish, I asked my friend for these. And all characters relating to FullMetal Alchemist are copyright Hiromu Arakawa. Anyways, this is my first FanFic ever, in my whole life. So it will probably be of, not the best ever quality._

_Ok, sorreh to keep you waiting. Without much further random babble, I bring you chapter 1. Umm, I will try to get the chapters up weekly__, but sometimes, when I have time, and am really in the mood, I could be getting them up hourly or something like that o.O._

_And, this is completely an alternate reality thingy-ma-whatever, and it really has nothing to do with the original work. I want it to be consistent with the original story, however. Anyway, I now bring you , Chapter 1._

**Isolated Memories**

_Chapter 1 : __¿Dónde estoy?_

**The Eastern lands of Mar and the Western lands of Viento. The Northern lands of Guerra, and the Southern lands of Paz. And many other various middle regions that had no specific name. Together, these lands made up the territory known as 'Ellesmere.' Though it had no real core, and was only… a myth.**

Bright, white light flooded the cramped, stuffy room, peeking into the corners and crevices of the square shaped space. A tiny bed lay off to one corner, blanketed in a thick mound of dust and littered with assorted books and papers. A small lump was huddled underneath the thin, rough excuse for a blanket. It stirred, turning over on its side and then back again. I neared the foot of the bed, creeping, ever so quietly nearer. Closer. I was naught but two strides away, when the lump rose, causing the blanket to tumble off its delicate chest. I froze, and then vaporized into the air.

Nicole sat up, rubbing her eyes wearily. She yawned; stretch her tiny fists into the air. Smacking her lips, as unlady-like as she possibly could, she surveyed her room. Her eyes scanning around the tiny space, making sure everything was as it should be. This had become a daily ritual for her. One that she had remembered doing since she was little, and wasn't sure why. She sighed, lazily throwing the blanket aside and scooting off the edge of her bed. She stuffed her legs through her skirt, and pulled her shirt over her head, smoothing it out as if fell about her waist. Slipping on her socks, she stepped out into the silent hall that connected to her room.

Oops. She had forgotten about the knotted mass that she so laughably called her hair. She sighed, deciding it best to leave it alone. If she even tried to comb it, it would most likely become much worse. '_But… today is picture day._' She grumbled to herself. She hung her head, and trudged back to her room. After she stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes, surveying the auburn tangle, she set to work unraveling it. This was quite the chore, and by the time she was finished, her limbs ached so bad she could have sworn she had just completed two hundred pushups. Though, she was rather pleased with the outcome of her labor.

She smiled, once… twice. No. It did no good. She really wasn't made for smiling. She shrugged her shoulders, then crept once again into the silent hall. She slipped down the stairs and into the next room. It was just as messy as the first. She sighed, looking about the mound briefly, before approaching it. She reached her arm into the depths of the pile, and began to tug. She had found her bag, and was attempting in vain to unearth it from the mountain of books, manuscripts and assorted papers and other writing surfaces. After much effort, the bag had still not budged.

"Damn it, Dad. Why must you always pile your things in such a way," she muttered.

Bracing her feet against its side, she pulled one final tug. The bag gave one final protest, and then was jerked out. The force of the effort thrust the girl backwards, slamming her into the wall. She swore silently under her breath, and then stumbled upwards, bracing her weight against the wall. Once she stood on her two feet, she shouldered out of the room into the kitchen. Or what could appear to be the kitchen. All that stood in the lonely room was a mini fridge and a small sink. She sighed, walking out the back door and into the yard.

Looking about the torn up piece of land around her, and sighed. She really should at least attempt to clean this up a bit. It would give her something to do with the endless hours she spent in her room pouring over books. It wasn't like she could gain much more knowledge, at least that her dad would let her read over. She walked down the path, and out of the gate, taking care to close and latch it tightly. Then she began her long trek to school. Since she lived to far from the school she attended, a bus never came to her house, and since her dad was a scientist, he was usually gone by the time she woke up. And she usually woke up around 5:30am every morning.

Life had become so much more difficult these days. Her father had hardly been at home, and when he was, it was usually only for one or two hours. She had asked about it, and he had told her that they had made a major breakthrough, and that he was asked to find the necessary data to complete the thingy-ma-whatever-it-was that her dad toiled on almost night and day. She strolled casually down the dirt road, stopping every so often to stroke the several creatures that stood at the fences lining the road. Most were horses or cattle, but there was the occasional llama, or sheep. She smiled at each of them, tickling their chins and then walking past.

After she had walked almost five miles or so, she came to the small mid-town. It was pretty much just a random place in-between cities, so people could get gas, and grab some quick snacks or something. She waved to a few people outside as she strolled up the street. She really wasn't very friendly with anyone, and no one really paid her much attention to her either, but for some reason, everyone had stopped to wish her well that day. This bothered her, for some strange reason. '_Ok… I suppose it isn't half bad. But most people ignore me. I'm the freakaziod from outer space, remember?_'

She came to the end of the road, looking out upon the next thirty miles to school. Geez, it was such a pain to walk. She glared at the rising sun, cursing it for its heat that always came too early in the day. She shrugged, not much she could do about that. '_Stupid ball of gas that floats in random space._' She was obviously feeling more grouchy than normal today.

As she stepped onto the black asphalt of the school's parking lot, she glanced up at the large clock which was mounted on the center main building. 7:50, it read. Great, ten minutes before the bell. Of course, she always got to school at this time, and was almost always exhausted by the time she got to school. This was mostly because she sprinted the last half mile, jogged the last five miles. She grumbled to herself, then approached the building. She threw her plastic smile across her lips, and ambled over towards a group of students chatting animatedly in front of the school.

"Hey guys," she began, "what's new?"

"Not much, Nicky. What about you?" one girl replied.

Nicole shrugged, not really in the mood for shot conversation, "Oh, the usual. Come on, we're going to be late for class." She threw a thick, fake laugh over her shoulder as she walked toward the doors. At school, she was the genius girl, the straight A prodigy. She had gotten used to this, and so used it to her advantage. Though, she had a secret. She secretly held a crush on the biggest loser, dorkiest geek, and clumsiest goof in the whole school. Of course, this really had nothing to do with anything, she just felt this way. She slouched into her seat just as the bell rang, and ended up sleeping for the whole class period. She woke just before the bell, glanced at the clock, and gathered her books together. She rubbed roughly at her eyes, trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes. By the time the lunch bell had rung, she had ended up falling asleep in all her classes. She sighed, shrugging it off, and moving out towards the cafeteria. Seriously, she needed to go to sleep earlier, if she wanted to stay on good terms with her teachers. She shrugged it off, and slipped out into the halls.

After the bell, she crowded out the front doors like everyone else, and once again started home. About eighteen miles from the school, she stopped, turning around. A very large truck was barreling down the road, right at her, without showing signs of stopping. Nicole stood there, in a daze. Like a deer caught in the headlights. Quite literally, except she wasn't a deer. At the last second, it swerved and stopped. Two large men jumped out, grabbed Nicole, tossed her into the back of the van, and drove off.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she questioned irritably.

"Quiet back there. We need you for something. So just sit your little butt down, and hush up."

The harsh words were followed by the hard blow, a jolting pain in the back of her head. She slumped to the floor, her eyes flickering open and shut. She drifted between consciousnesses, and was only barely aware of their conversation.

"…what should we do with her now?" one asked. He was bald, and looked considerably fat.

"I'm not sure. Dump her somewhere?" another chimed in. This one had hair, but only about four hairs. And he kept stroking them, as if to make sure they were still there or something.

Nicole watched as the car turned a corner into a dark alley that soon opened up into a wide country side in the middle of nowhere. The care stopped, and she was tossed outside onto the soft, emerald green grass. She coughed slightly, and watched as the car turned abruptly, then… wait. That couldn't be possible. The car had been just feet from her face. And now, it had literally, just, vanished. Like the magic tricks her dad used to do when she was little. He would be in front of her one second, and then he would be behind her the next.

She smiled slowly at the old memory, but shook it off quickly. She rose to a sitting position, but it sent a wave of dizziness to her head, and she fell back down on the road side. She breathed deeply for a few minutes, then tried again. Nothing, same result. She sighed, deciding to just lay there and wait for sometimes to find her. Personally, that was usually about the worst thing you could do, but frankly, Nicole really wasn't worried that anything worse could happen to her. She blacked out a few moments later.

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Nicole woke with a groan, and glanced around her. She was in a hospital? Good. Someone had found her, and called an ambulance or something. She smiled slowly, looking around her. It was a small room, with several over beds around hers. They were all empty. That was rather odd, she concluded. It was peaceful, though, and no one seemed to be in the room. Her eyes followed the strange patterns on the walls, moving across them, and soon found the door. They then moved back across the room, and to the other side. A chair sat close to her bed.

It was occupied.

Nicole shrieked, a high-pitched, girly, mouse shriek.

"What are you doing?" she questioned the girl who occupied it. She looked to be about fifteen or so, but that was only a guess. She had blonde hair, that reached to the middle of her back. She wore a jacket, well, it was more of a one piece getup. The top part lay tied to her waist, revealing her pale skin. She had very blue eyes, and… a wrench in her hand? What was she doing with a wrench?

"Well… I was the one who found you. I brought you here, and my grandmother was in here a minute ago. Those are some strange clothes you have though," the blonde girl replied.

Nicole just nodded, "What's the wrench for?"

"Oh, this?" she held it up, "I'm a mechanic. I can't seem to part with this wrench for some reason." She smiled, stood up and left the room.

Nicole lay there in silence. '_Okay. That was probably the weirdest person I've ever met. I shoulder have asked where I was._' She lay back down, tiredness creeping over her body.

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Ed sat irritably in the corner of the Colonel's office. His right arm was shattered in pieces, and a cloth was draped over the empty socket. There was a conversation going on, and he was very much intrigued by the topic.

"The Ishvalans are a people from the East, who believe in the one god, Ishvara. Due to religious differences, they'd always been in conflict with the central government…But thirteen years ago, when an army officer accidentally shot an Isharlan child, the incident exploded into war. Riot led to riot, and soon the fires of civil war spread throughout the entire East area. After seven frustrating years, the military commanders took a new tactic…They used Sate Alchemists in an all-out genocide campaign. They were recruited as human weapons. It was an opportunity to test their suitability for war. I was one of those Alchemists.

That's why ther's a certain justice that one of the last surviving Isharlans would seek revenge." Colonel Roy Mustang stated.

"It's still _not_ 'justice', whatever happened, he's still involving innocent people for the sake of his revenge. He's just sugar-coating it by acting self-righteous and calling himself 'an instrument of God,' Ed retorted irritably.

"We're talking about someone who hates Alchemy, but uses that same power to get revenge. Someone like that, who's either totally insane or doesn't care what other people think about them is one of the most dangerous people existing. Frankly, he scares me," Hughes put in.

Roy snorted. "We can't care what people think about us, either, because we can't afford to perish yet. The next time we meet, there won't be any explanations… Because we'll kill him," Roy replied curtly.

Ed looked glum, but nodded slowly. He sighed, and glanced down at his dismantled brother's armor. "That sounds pleasant," he gruffed.

"Ok! On that cheerful note… that's enough of this pointless conversation. So what are you guys going to do now?" he asked Ed and Al.

Ed thought for a moment, rubbing his chin with his finger. "Well… I want to fix Al's body, but I can't do Alchemy with just one arm…"

"Shall I fix him?" Lewis replied happily, flexing his arms.

"NO THANKS!" Al replied, quivering.

"I'm the only one who knows how to keep Al's soul in the armor… So anyway, first I need a new arm," Ed said, ignoring Al.

"Right… If Edward can't use Alchemy, then he's just a little brat who swears a lot," Riza said thoughtfully.

"An arrogant pipsqueak…," Hughes added.

"Useless… just useless," muttered Mustang, though loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Sorry Brother, I don't know how to follow that…" Al said cautiously.

"You're all picking on me!" Ed shouted. "Fine. I have no choice… I have to go see my mechanic."

"Well. I've got a ton of work waiting for me back in Central," Hughes said.

"I can't leave East Headquarters," Mustang put in.

"I'm too busy babysitting the Colonel," Riza added, "someone has to keep him in line."

"I don't think I can protect you from someone that dangerous," Havoc said carefully, followed by an 'Our thoughts exactly.'

Ed growled when he realized who was left. '_Why… out of everyone they could have sent… Does it have to be _him' –insert all that stuff that happens between when he gets on the train, and when they finally get to Risenbool.-

----------------

Nicole grunted, lumbering down the stairs into the room downstairs. According to the girl, who had introduced herself has Winry, she had slept for three days, and had been in bed for another five. She decided she might as well explore the house, and so here she was. She wasn't sure what kind of hospital this was, Winry hadn't told her anything except her name, and that she was a mechanic.

She sighed, coming into the kitchen. Winry was gone, but the old woman was there, sitting at the table. She was working on something weird. She couldn't exactly describe it, so therefore it was 'weird'. There were several of the same type of weird hanging on the walls and such. She sat down at the table, watching the older lady work with flying fingers. She obviously knew what she was doing.

------------

Two days later, in the later of the afternoon, Nicole wandered down the stairs. She needed to call her father, and make sure he wasn't worried about her.

"Can I borrow your phone?" she asked the old lady, who she still didn't know the name of.

But the lady didn't respond, she seemed interested in something completely different. Den's barks could be heard from outside. The lady smiled, and sighed. "Well I'll be darned." She grinned. "Winry! Our regulars are here! Winry..!" The lady stepped outside, standing on the porch. Nicole stayed inside, but watched as two figures faded into view on the horizon.

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Okay, please excuse the random badness. I typed this up during my lunch period. I should have chapter 2 up by tomorrow, and trust me, it will be longer. It gets rather boring at the end, sorry. But yea, the next chapter will explain more, and it should be funnier too xD

Translation Notes :

Title : _¿Dónde estoy? - _Where am I? (I'm pretty sure that is, Translator sites aren't always accurate)


	2. Chapter 2 : Baca Gorda

_Ok, I'm sorry for the delay in updating this. The carnival was in town this weekend. Since I have a nine year old younger brother, and an eleven year old younger sister, we went, of course. –haven't slept since last Friday- Anyway, enjoy chapter two. And, this chapter is kind of slow, just to warn you. Though, it does inform quite a bit… whatever, you'll find that out for yourself. Without any more delays, Chapter 2 readers xD_

**The Gateway**

Chapter 2 : _Baca Gorda_

Previously : _"Well I'll be darned." She grinned. "Winry! Our regulars are here! Winry..!" The lady stepped outside, standing on the porch. Nicole stayed inside, but watched as two figures faded into view on the horizon._

Nicole watched curiously as they became clearer. One was microscopically short, the other, a giant.

"Hey, Granny Pinako, I'm gunna need your help again." the shorter one called.

He neared the house, stopping in the yard. The giant carried a large, wooden crate, in which rested a large suit of armor. "This is Major Armstrong," he introduced, pointing at the giant.

_Major!?_ _What is the military doing here? And… and…_ her thoughts were interrupted by the Armstrong's booming voice. "Pinako Rockbell, pleased to meet you," he smiled warmly, shaking her hand. The dog too bounded up to the crowd, placing his paws on the crate and wagging his tail excitedly.

"Hi Den, long time no see," the armor said.

_And, of course, the armor can talk. Er, why is the guy wearing armor, and sitting in a crate anyway?_

"Is it just me, or have you gotten smaller since I saw you last?" Granny Pinako said pointedly.

"Who are you calling small, half-pint hag!" he shouted back.

"What did you call me, you little runt?!"

"You heard me, guppy geezer!!"

"Tiny chump!"

"Micro-mini granny!"

"Microscopic amoebae!"

"Those are already microscopic, old hag."

At this moment in time, Lewis stepped in. He bonked Ed on the head, "Now stop it. It's rude to comment on one's age."

The elderly lady chuckled, "Young lad, 'tis just a joke. Now, what brings you back?" she asked curiously, "you pipsqueak."

Ignoring her comment, Ed opened his mouth to speak, though was interrupted by the whistle of something cutting through the air at a rapid pace. _Clonk!_ Which was followed by a loud, 'oww!'

"Whoops. Sorry Ed. Didn't see you there. So why'd you finally decide to come back?"

Ed shrugged, ignoring her and stepping inside the door, followed by Lewis, the old lady, and not much later, Winry, who came from the stairs. Lewis declared that he was going to step outside for a moment. He carried a very large crate into the adjoining room, and then stepped back outside. Nicole just sat by the wall, invisible to all eyes. She sighed, _What the heck is going on?_ She stood up and peered through the doorless frame. The girl, Winry, was chewing out the shrimpy kid, and the armor that was with him. She thought it a bit odd to wear such large armor, and indoors too. Something strange was going on. Best not to meddle, she decided quickly, and went outside to find the huge guy.

"… and what's this, Al? You broke too? Geez, what kind of lifestyle do you guys lead?"

Al shrank back into his crate, and by the racket of his armor, he was shaking.

Nicole wandered outside, sitting down on the hill behind the house, listening to Winry and Ed's voices coming from the open window behind her. She sighed, stretching her back into an arch so she could rest her chin on her drawn up knees. '_Just where am I, anyways? What's going on?_' her thoughts trailed off. She sighed, rising to her feet and trudging off away from the house. She needed to think.

Not much later, the boy came out, and sat down next to the armor, Den trailing. He seemed to be talking to the armor… '_Why is that guy still in his armor? Shouldn't he take it off?_' she shrugged off the thought, he would probably take it off around dinner time or so. She watched as the golden haired boy rose and walked off, Den still following him. She smiled slowly to herself; she could try talking to the armor now. The short boy was kind of scary, for some reason. She edged down the roof, and lightly dropped to the ground below.

"Hi," she began.

The armor jumped, but turned to look at her anyway. "Hi, I didn't see you, er, haven't ever seen you around here."

Nicole shrugged, "You haven't?" she asked, hope creeping into her voice.

"No."

Nicole sighed, "Oh." She sat down next to him on the grass, fingering a green leaf between her fingers. '_That's really weird… I've been here for two weeks. Well, I suppose that doesn't really count as long, but I can't remember anything before then._

"I'm Alphonse, by the way, but Al, for short."

"Alphonse is a strange name," she said back.

Al didn't get a chance to reply, because Ed soon came into view on the horizon. "Oh, Brother's back…" he said, though didn't move to greet him. He just stayed rooted to the spot of the grass. Nicole thought this strange too, but didn't ask questions.

Two days later, she slipped silently down the stairs, peering into the adjoining room. Ed sat on a cushioned box, his right arm and left leg propped up on two other cushioned boxes. In an instant, she had recognized them to be shiny for one thing, and limp. They were the weird some things she had seen hanging all over the house! So they were prosthetics.

"One…two…three!"

His face twisted into a sort of agonized pain. "OWW!" She suppressed a giggle. This kid was kind of funny. After a few minutes, he was standing. And then… '_WHAT THE HECK!?_' Ed had placed his leg flatly against the wall, and his nose brushed the metal, his other leg was straight and he still stood flat-footed on the floor. He did something like that to his arm too.

"Feels good," he said as Winry proceeded to lecture him about his arm, but he dashed off in a hurry. Nicole watched this curiously, obvious confusion written all over her face. She walked to the window that oversaw the back area. Ed dashed hurriedly towards the armor. He picked up an arm… '_Okaaay…_' then set it back down. Then he clapped his hands. Her eyes widened in amazement as he placed them on the ground, followed by an electric blue light. The next thing she knew, all the pieces that were gone, and the armor was standing, for once.

She blinked once. Twice. Her feet would not move, her eyes were fixed on the strange pair that stood naught ten feet from her. She watched as they sparred, Ed moving about like a monkey on springs, and as the armor blocked nearly every move. The giant man, whose name she did not remember, soon joined them, much to their dismay. '_What goof balls…_' she mouthed silently. Her head dropped, shaking in a lazy way, before she turned from the window.

A few hours later, Ed, Al and the giant came into the house, bruised and sweating. Nicole trailed Winry down the stairs and into the dining room. She sat down, and invisibly ate. Ed didn't seem to notice her at all, nor did Al or the giant, whose name still eluded her memory.

"So Ed, where did your normal limbs go?" she asked abruptly.

Ed had just taken a rather large mouthful of water, and ever so kindly, had spewed it all over Winry. He now turned to look at the stranger who has spoken. "Where did you come from?" he asked shortly.

Nicole rolled her eyes, "I've been here for two weeks, genius. Have you not noticed me at all?"

Ed's eyes narrowed and he turned his gaze back towards his food. "No."

"Well, besides that, are you going to answer my question or not?"

"No."

Nicole sighed, it was pointless. She glanced back at Al. "Why don't you ever take your armor off? Why did you only stand this afternoon, why not before? Why aren't you eating, anyway? Shrimpy kid, what was that blue light earlier?"

The room had fallen silent in the few minutes of the conversation, and Nicole's questions echoed emptily off the walls. Ed nearly choked on his bread, and Al shrank back into the wall behind him. Winry was still dripped from the water, and her eyes were focused on the blonde boy sitting across from her.

"DON'T CALL ME SO SHRIMPY THAT YOU NEED A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO SEE!" Ed shouted back. "And that blue light was called 'Alchemy.' Don't you know what _that_ is? Everyone does, unless you were born in a cave out in the middle of nowhere. Where you born in a cave?"

"I didn't say that, and no, I wasn't. I'm even sure where 'here' is. It isn't _normal_ for any person, especially a small child, to clap their hands and then make things disappear in a blue light. Or any color light, or anyone to do anything unnatural. Or whatever this 'alchemy' thing is… it isn't normal. Who are you people anyway? Is it normal to have such weird fake limbs?" her temper had flared, and she now found herself inches from Ed's face.

"You're crazy," he said simply, "so who are you anyway?"

Nicole's cheeks flushed red, and she slowly crept back from him. "I'm not sure what my name is. Who are you? I already met your older brother, or so he says."

"I'm the older brother, me, Edward Elric. And how could you not know your own name?"

"Oh, sorry. But you're so short, are you sure?"

Al stepped in at this point, "Brother, calm down."

Nicole now heard his voice clearly, and it did sound like that of a child. "So why do you wear the armor all the time anyway?"

Ed and Al cast nervous glances at each other. "It's a hobby," they both said.

'_What kind of hobby involves wearing armor all the time?!_'

Ed turned back to his now cold food. "We're leaving tomorrow at dawn," he announced.

"Where are you going?" Nicole asked, hopeful that it would be somewhere where she could contact her father or something, but Ed ignored her. She tried again, "Can I come with you?"

Ed started coughing loudly, "Can you do _what?_"

"Can I come with you?" she repeated.

"No."

"How come?"

"Because… we travel a lot, and it's dangerous were we're going… and you wouldn't want to get mixed up in it all. Besides, er, nevermind. But you still can't come."

Nicole snorted, "Oh, right. It's so dangerous. What could possibly be so dangerous for a, what, twelve-year old to do, that I can't."

"I'm FIFTEEN! Would you quit insulting me!" he retorted, "And yes, it is so dangerous that a weak little girl like you couldn't do. You're not coming, and that's final."

------------------------

The golden sun spread its gold rays over the horizon, peeking into Nicole's bedroom and across the sheets, though the room was abandoned. As was the hall and the rooms below. Nicole stood outside, next to Ed, Al and Major Louis. She had a triumphant grin across her face, while Ed's face was of utter loss. He eyed the girl warily before waving to Granny Pinako and Winry.

The journey had begun.

_Alright, alright... I know, very bad ending. And it's short. Once again, sorry for the delay in updating this, I plan to update sooner in the near future. As I said, not much happens in this chapter, but a lot more should happen in the next few chapters. Expect chapter 3 by Friday next week._


	3. Chapter 3 : La Verdadquemientedentro de

_I forgot to mention this in the summary [ran out of space but this is __MangaBased__. Just to clear that up. Well, anyway, here's chapter 3.__ Oh, and all italicized writing is Nicole's thoughts, unless I say they aren't. [I'll usually put Ed, Al, Winry, Roy… thought or something_

_---------------------------------------_

**The Gateway**

_Chapter 3: __La __Verdad__que__miente__dentro__ de la __Verdad_

Previously: The golden sun spread its gold rays over the horizon, peeking into Nicole's bedroom and across the sheets, though the room was abandoned. As was the hall and the rooms below. Nicole stood outside, next to Ed, Al and Major Louis. She had a triumphant grin across her face, while Ed's face was of utter loss. He eyed the girl warily before waving to Granny Pinako and Winry. The journey had begun.

The landscape crawled across the clear, glass windows, though the train moved faster than it appeared. A girl stared out the window, watching in puzzlement. She knew not why, but Nicole felt as if something was missing. Next to her sat a very large suit of armor, and on the seat across from her, a very large man, and a very small boy.

"Hey," she said, looking at the armor, for he seemed to talk more than his 'older' brother, "where _are _we going anyway?"

Al looked at the girl, "To the library. Bother wants to look up something."

She shrugged and turned back to her thoughts, '_Ok then, if they won't tell me the truth, I'll have to find it out for myself._'

---------------------------

Footsteps echoed off the large building's walls as Ed scrambled across the platform, followed by Al, Nicole and Major Armstrong huffing behind.

"Hurry up Al!"

"You don't have to be in such a rush, big Brother, it's not like the library is going to run away."

"Just hurry up and come on!"

"Why are we going to the library, again?" though her question was ignored.

"We're finally in Central!!" Ed exclaimed.

Two large trains were nestled on the east and west sides of the building, while tracks ran through the middle. The roof was made of glass, and eager sunlight flooded through them into the spacious room below. A extremely large clock sat on the north wall. 3 o'clock, it read. People bustled about the empty platforms and tracks, all seemingly oblivious to everything else around them. Though there were few people to distract them, anyway.

Major Armstrong lead them towards two other people, each wearing the same uniform as Major Armstrong. They snapped their right hands to their foreheads in a salute as they approached.

"Major Armstrong, we've come to escort you," the dark-haired female said dutifully.

"Thank-you, Lieutenant Ross, and Sergeant Brosh," he replied, his face beaming.

"Oh! And this must be the Fullmetal Alchemist?" Brosh said admiringly.

He and Ross both crowded around the large suit of armor, their faces full of admiration.

"I'm Maria Ross. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir!"

"Denny Brosh, reporting, sir! I can see where you got your nickname, rather dignified."

Ed's face turned to that of rage, and disbelief, while Al simply pointed a finger at his older brother, a look of semi-guilt crossing his metal face.

"Hm?" Ross and Brosh said in unison. "The little guy over there?" Brosh said questioningly.

Major Armstrong lifted Ed by the collar of his jacket as he steamed furiously to himself. Brosh and Ross hurriedly apologized, though Brosh didn't sound convincing with his 'per se' on the end. Nicole sat back and watched in curious confusion. _What did this little chump have to do with the military? He sure was acting friendly towards them, and seemed to well known among their ranks.__ And also, why did he have 'escorts.'? They were more like body guards…_ Her thoughts were cut off with the Major nearly suffocating Ed.

"..then I'll leave him with you."

"Yes sir!"

"Whaat? More bodyguards!?" Ed groaned.

_So I guess they were bodyguards, after all. I wonder why this shrimp has body __guards?_

"According to reports, the Assassin is still at large. Until he is found, and the situation resolved, we are instructed to be your bodyguards. We may not be as dependable as the Major, but we are confident in our abilities to protect you."

_So this chump is being hunted by an assassin?! What the hell could this kid have done in his life to be hated, and now hunted, by an assassin?_

"Well, I guess we're stuck with you," Ed mumbled, "I don't need any babysitters," he muttered to himself.

"Don't you mean 'thank-you', Big Brother?"

"Big Brother!? So the person in the armor is the younger brother?

"Yup," Al said.

"But... why do you wear the armor?"

Ed and Al again, cast nervous glances at one another. "It's a hobby," they said curtly.

Nicole furrowed her brows in puzzlement, _A hobby… they said the same thing to me. I wonder what the real reason is._ The thought was forgotten as they stopped in front of the library. Nicole smiled and got out of the very old styled car, but her smile was lost to a face of shock. "This is a library?? It's huge! What kind of books are here, anyway? Ones that aren't for kids, right?"

Ed ignored her comment, again. "This is the National Central Library. Only we State Alchemists can go in it." He added the last part with a sort of cockiness.

'_Duh…_' she thought, struggling not to drool or look completely confused as to what exactly he was talking about.

"…however…" she heard Lieutenant Ross say, and then bumped into the back of Ed. He gave her a cold stare, then went to enter the building. Nicole struggled to suppress a snicker.

"…Just yesterday, the _entire_ collection was incinerated. The investigations aren't complete yet, but we think it to have been done on purpose." Ed sighed, his face sullen. But he walked into the massive building anyway. Al, Brosh and Ross all followed him in, but Nicole stayed outside, still gaping at the building. It looked more like… a sudden fog seemed to shroud her mind. '_Like what?_ _Why can't I remember?_' She shook her thoughts out of her head, then scrambled after Ed. But when she caught up to him, he was already leaving. She sighed, then turned and followed him back out.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _"Hmm… no answer."

"Maybe no one's home," Brosh suggested.

"The lights on, so she has should be," Ed countered.

He pressed the door open slightly, "Hello..?" He pushed the door all the way open.

"Woah! What's with all the books!?" Ed asked, looking rather silly.

Nicole sat down on the doorstep, figuring her presence wasn't needed. She fingered her hair with a bored expression. Her deep auburn locks that usually cascaded about her back, now was a tangled mess and lay in large clumps that hung in her face and clogged the feel of nature's breath on her neck. She needed a bath, or something. Ed came out a few minutes later, looking rather triumphant and Brosh looking rather confused. Ed announced that they would get a hotel room for a week, until the bookworm could finish writing Tim Marcoh's research. Nicole was about ready for some sleep, and so clambered into the car behind Ed.

The hotel was a lot fancier than she would have expected. It was lavishly decorated with lush red cushions for the chairs and sofas, and the elegant curtains she was sure, were made of a very fine silk. The floors were hardwood, but polished to an unbelievable shine, like no other. The walls of the room were decorated with numerous paintings of pervious Fuhrers, all wearing their crisp blue uniforms. The ceilings were very high, daintily curving to the center, from which hung a large, glass chandelier. As they passed into the hallway, the paintings continued down the walls, but the carpets were a rich blue and soft as velvet. Ed acted as though this was something he saw every day, and Nicole was wondering how the heck the little kid could afford to stay in something this fancy. Maybe that was just the exterior look, maybe the rooms were really messy and poor kept.

She couldn't have been more wrong. The rooms were just as fancy. Even the bathroom was fancy. Ed pointed across the hall, "The girl, that would be you," he said, nodding his head in Nicole's direction, "sleeps in there. Here's the key. Now scram." He turned and walked into the room, followed by Al, who closed the door behind himself. Nicole glared at the door, then turned her nose to the air and stepped lightly across the room. She carefully turned the key, then slamming the door behind her. She wanted to know what was going on, not to be stuck in a room by herself. She sighed, shoving her butt onto the neatly pressed sheets. She glanced around the room, noticing for the first time, how popular the Fuhrer paintings were. They seemed to be everywhere.

A very large one hung over her bed. The man has short, cropped black hair. His face was wider, with a square jaw and a warm smile. An eye patch rested over his left eye. Peeking from behind it, an ugly jagged scar crept up and down on either side. He wore the same crisp, blue uniform as the others, the same rough black boots. Nicole disregarded the painting, and let her eyes wander the rest of the room. The bed, on which she sat, was tucked neatly into the corner. Just to the left, was the door. The bathroom was further away, the door to it on the inside of her closet. She thought this rather strange, but soon discovered that there wasn't any other place to put it, and that way, no one would visibly see it anyway. The walls were painted a very dark, yet soft, green, as was the sheets, pillows, and seat cushions. The carpets, curtains, and towels were a light sandy shade. Nicole thought this an odd combination of colors, but it wasn't something she could change.

She shrugged it off, going into the closet, then into the bathroom. It was just as richly decorated as the room. Once again, this was rather odd. Who usually stayed at this hotel anyway? She proceeded to take her bath, wasting away an hour and a half soaking in the water.

Ed paced back and forth across the floor. Al watched him with unease, "Maybe you should rest, Brother."

Ed ignored him, continuing to pace back and forth.

"Brother, you're making a trench."

_Knock. Knock._ Ed nearly jumped out of his skin. "Can you get that, Al?"

Al sighed, but went to get the door. Nicole wandered into the room. "So, anyone care to tell me what's going on?" she asked quizzically.

Ed shrugged, "Nope, but Al might be able to."

Al looked at the wet-haired girl, "Gee, I wish I could take a bath. It sounds refreshing…" he muttered.

Nicole thought this slightly strange, _'Why wouldn't he be able to take a bath? Just take your armor off for once, and take one._' But she pretended she hadn't heard his comment. "So Al, what's going on?"

"Well… we're looking for something. And while we were looking for it, we ran into the serial killer who's after us, and had a little mishap. Ed's arm was shattered, and so was the left side of my armor. The guy ended up getting away, even though we had him surrounded. Anyway, Ed and I decided to go back home, to get repaired. Colonel Mustang sent us along, with Major Armstrong as our bodyguard.

"While we were going there, we ran into Tim Marcoh. He had an imperfect compound of the item we are looking for. He had data on how to create it too, but he wouldn't show it to us. While we were sitting there, waiting to leave, he ended up giving Ed a sheet of paper with the location of the data. We had to get repaired first, so we went back home. When we got back to central, the library, and data, had been burned to the ground. At least the first branch was.

"We went to visit a lady who used to work in the first branch earlier today, she said she remembered the document we were looking for, and so it writing it out for us. And that's pretty much what's going on."

Nicole stared at the two dumbfounded, "Umm… could you repeat all that?"

Al shook his head, "Sorry. You should have listened. Anyway, we need to find the object as soon as possible. But now that I have told you that, I want to know some things about you. Like, where you came from, your name, why you were at Granny Pinako and Winry's house, and anything else you feel like telling us."

Nicole shrugged, it was fair. "Fine, but I ain't telling the shrimp squat."

Al held Ed back, "Continue…"

"Fine. I do not know anything that you have asked me to tell you. I do not know what my name is, or where I am from, or how I ended up at Granny Pinako and Winry's house. When I try to think, I get a headache. When I try to think, it is just a black void that goes on, on, and on. Endless, I suppose you could say. There is nothing in my head, except the events that have happened in the days that have passed since I arrived here. I do not even know where here is."

Now it was Al and Ed's turn to turn and stare stupidly. "Umm…" the both said.

"Reckon she's crazy?"

"Brother, that's mean. She probably is just pulling our leg."

"No… I don't think so. Maybe she lost her memory?"

"I guess so."

Nicole glared at them, "Guys, I'm right here. I have ears that work, and I can hear you. I'm not crazy, Ed. And I'm not lying, Al." She didn't want to think about their other suggestion. _Have I lost my memories? Why? How? Who am I?_ She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Well, I'm going to get some rest, see you in the morning." She walked out, closing the door softly behind her. She had a lot to think about.

"Good riddance," Ed muttered.

----------------------------------------------

"Sorry it took so long. There was more material than I thought, so it took me five days to write down. Anyway, here you go, Tim Marcoh's research to the letter."

"She did it…. Really did it…" Al muttered.

"There really are amazing people in the world, huh, Al?"

Nicole sighed, _Aren't you both 'amazing people in the world' too?_

"Now it makes sense, he couldn't run away, cause of the sheer size of his research."

"And you're sure that you wrote _all_of them down?"

"Yes, without doubt, Tim Marcoh's recipe book, 1,000 Meals for Daily Living."

"Huh……?"

"A tablespoon of sugar with a few drops of water… It really is a recipe book." Ross said, eyes gazing quickly across the documents.

"Hey! What exactly are you trying to pull Lady?? These are obviously not the right documents."

"But… I just copied it down exactly how I remembered it." Sheska cried emphatically.

"Yes, perhaps. There must have been someone else writing under the same name. I'm so sorry you two, it looks like it was all a waste of time."

"…Now Sheska, you're sure that this a _flawless_ copy of Mr. Tim Marcoh's research down to the last phrase, word, and letter?"

"Y-yes, there are no mistakes."

"You really are amazing, thank you a lot. Alright, c'mon Al, we have to take these to the library. We can use their reference books. Oh yeah… almost forgot payment." He drew a leather bound, pocket-size notebook from his pocket, and hurriedly scribbled notes onto the open page. "Second Lieutenant Ross, take my pin number, signature, and this watch as I.D. Go to the State Alchemists office in the presidential prefecture, take out the amount I wrote down on that piece of paper from my research grant for the year, and give it to Sheska."

"Yes, Sir…" she replied, looking baffled.

"Sheska, thanks again for everything. Later!" he called, dashing out the door after the already retreating Al, Nicole and Brosh.

_Clack._ The sound of the door closing echoed into the room.

"From his research grant, huh?" Ross said, unfolding the paper.

"Eeekkk! Does that say what I think it does?" Sheska squealed.

"Who is that _kid_ that he can hand out this amount of cash?!?!

Ed wandered out of the building in the direction of the library. He had a confident look of triumph on his face, and he walked with a determined air about him. He wandered up to the library, but before he went in, he turned to look at Nicole. "You can go back to the hotel. Do whatever you want, just don't cause trouble or anything. I should be back later." And with that, he slipped into the library with Al and Brosh, leaving Nicole feeling rather left behind.

_Thank you for reading chapter 3. You can expect chapter 4 by next Friday. Please review I would really like to know your thoughts on this, and what you want to see in future chapters, or something._


	4. Chapter 4 : NOTICE

NOTICE: This story is ABANDONED sorry to all you who were expecting the next and any following chapters.

* * *

Loco


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